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SA female National U17 squad Coach Dludlu announces World Cup squad

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The South African National Under 17 women’s soccer team Coach Simphiwe Dludlu has named 21 players for the Junior FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in November.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has expressed its confidence in the team, saying it has the potential to become the first South African team to progress past the group stage at a FIFA World Cup.

It has taken eight years for South Africa to once again qualify for the FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup. The last group to achieve that feat was in 2010 under coach Solly Luvhengo.

This generation of players qualified earlier in the year after a 6-1 aggregate win over Morocco in final round of qualifiers.

Following their qualification, SAFA a has invested its resources in the team’s preparation for the global showpiece.

Part of it included the team playing in the BRICS Tournament in Johannesburg and a tour of Spain a few weeks ago.

Although the team has not been given any mandate from the association, indications are that they are expected to perform better than any other South African team at a World Cup.

“We want to wish you the very best. We are convinced that you will be the first team in any division from this country to go to the next round of the World Cup. That’s our wish for you and that is our belief in you that you will make it to the second round and after that it’s the knockout and anything can happen. So, we want to wish you the very best,” says SAFA president, Danny Jordaan.

Bantwana are in Group B together with Japan, Brazil and Mexico. These are countries that have qualified for at least five World Cups. However, that doesn’t seem to bother Coach Simphiwe Dludlu.

Her charges have demonstrated self confidence to face the super powers.

“The biggest thing is for them to understand what it means for them to be on that field playing for each other, playing for the nation and we are not going to write history. They have to understand that, in order them to change the odds, it’s for them to really dream bigger,” says Dludlu.

The players have also drawn some inspiration from the Banyana Banyana side that has been doing well.

“In the current Banyana squad, four or five of those players were in that 2010 squad that went to the World Cup and they look at them and see how great they are currently in the Banyana team. They really see a dream for them to say if we do well then we stand a chance to be in the senior team, in the Under 20 team and even go overseas,” added Dludlu.

The team will depart for Uruguay on Saturday to wrap up preparations.

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